Introduction


These short exercises should help you learn about finding resources. Please note these guides were written for students at another college (MIT), so the library mentioned in the guides is the Barton Library. You of course will use BCTC's Library.

How to do research


The tutorials below link you to MIT's open course software. You should complete each tutorial and answer the questions at the end. You would be smart to make notes about the strategies you are shown, as you will have pop quizzes in class to test what you have learned. For these tutorials to work you will need to have Flash software installed on your computer.

1. Getting Started 7:45 minutes (SWF - 4MB)

  • Where to Search for Books and Articles
  • Locating Full Text in Print and Online
  • Getting Help from Library Staff
  • Assignment # 1 can be found here

2. Database Search Tips 10:45 minutes (SWF - 7MB)

  • GoogleTM vs. Library Search Tools
  • Keyword, Truncation and Boolean Searching
  • Subject and Field Searching

3. Evaluating Information 7:30 minutes (SWF - 5.7MB)

  • Using Scholarly Sources
  • Comparing Sources and Corroborating Facts

4.. Using and Creating Citations 4:15 minutes (SWF - 2.8MB)

  • Interpreting and Creating Citations
  • Citing Sources

Useful Links on MLA formatting

MLA Formating Web sites

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/writer_resources/citation_styles/mla/mla.htm
http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citmla.htm
http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm

APA Formating Web Sites

http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citapa.htm

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Annenberg Video

You can watch any of the anneberg videos we watched in class by going http://www.learner.org/resources/series128.html#|here. You will have to register before you can view the videos, but registration is free. You might even find other programs to help you!

SaveCancel
[[kctcsenglish:helpful links#|help on how to format text]]

external image c.gif